Reeling device



N. V. SMITH REELING DEVICE Jail. 24, 1950 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1946 INVENTOR. JV/L VI'SM/M BY WWW Arroeuzx Patented Jan. 24, 1950 'i A,

I srsi mple arid iriexpenwlenienti' for haridimg lone lengths sfeompaptixafid whieh ,7 a conven whi power 'ufiit' ct o 'wmdi' thehose ohto th th t e des cunt oi'p afid without I a wmppi ction eccurring iiSE-d: I v mechanisms: driven motors Wh There are situations: where etecti ii;

ation is to be found iri' most 'gasblineservzce staoum onto the 2 tlie hose' iii a most advantttgeous f amieffective marine? The vaaii ious objeetean'kf f eatures'of my' inven: tifan will be' fully: understddd' from' the iiollov'ringfi detailed; description of a typical preferred form and applihation ot the invention, throughoutwhic'h description reference is madeto the acicompel-mine drawings; in -which I 'have-provided sshowmg the reel proper in cross 1arg'ed detai1ed sectiofi-al View taken-substantially as iridieated byi line on Fig. 22- Fig; 4 is an 'eIiIangedwiewof the? valve included in the hy dm'ulieoi pneumati'cI means employed in: the apparatus? Fig; fviswah enlarged plan view taken substantially as indicated by line 5:5 on Fig. 2 and showing the pulley" ihcorporated' in the" de-- I vide to handlethe"=drivingolinea is w' 'seotiori-a1'=view=taken as indicated byline ti'ons'wh'ere air and"water hoses'aiecarrieu ori v reels and are rapidly" withdrawfl refuse-am when their use is finished they re I= releaseii so that they winu-pa' k -automatically; A- ptacti'ea diifibulty or disadvantageot t mechanism i's-tl'iat it' winds th the" outer end' portionof the a-t a" substantial -speed' as it reaches: its finial re tra'cted position; making: it necessaryto be stbpp'edsuddenly; which exerts-unnecessary strain upon it and} moieufhpbrtantj causingit to whip orlash in 'adisagi'eeatile' a rid ofterfdis' a'd'v'anta'geou'smannex.

It is ageiferal'obj'e'ct' of the present" ii'ive'n'tiofi' provide a" reelifig" device that will hahdia hose so tl'lat the hose is effectively wouridpht" the" reeIupofi b'eih' ,re1eased1and' yet is checlied me its fihal movement so that it comes to rest' gently. and Without lashingeor excessive strains, such as I havev referredato above,

Another object of the invention is -ter provide an improved mechanismionhandling zarhosef reel in I which mechanism thereis: ahydraulic or pneumatic meanst iricorporateitsoe that it effeee tiveiy exerts aidesirable--resistance"tei withdraiwat oi the ho'se=-andv-is: operable t'o reel; up: or 'returri 3 1 =1ion -Fig Syn-and :Figs'? 8 25116. 9 are views i11us= ti atirigs tHe opei'atiHg relationship of i the driving line;- the -drumthat handles the "driving? line, and the pullewover vvhioh the driving line operates; Figa 8-showiiigethe=positionpf theparts when the apparatus is operated so'that the hose-"ism, and

Figs.9*shetvingt the relationship of -the parts when --suoh for example as ele'ctricalcables"; hoses;

anmthec like; HoWevem since it is I particularly advahtageous f 01 use in' hahdling an airhose -or the like I hav'e shown itin a" f oi'm suitable for Handlin a: h'ose 'H? and 'l: will refer to it' as' handling" aii hose; I it beir'i'g uh dersto'od' that when I usei tlie tern-v' hose" I 1 mean t6= include any other orZl-ike element:that m'ayi 'be handlefi like-a hose:

'I fie structurei that I I have-providedinvolves; generally, 2: reet Athat handles the" hose H,Ha.

I di ivingz di unif B ftm thereelytafixibie n'i'ember or wim'iin hose fIhereI A'ma be a simple or-plain-reel shaped flfld 'profiortibnedte roperly aecomm'ouatethe hose H being handled by the apparatus. In the drawings I have shown a reel A characterized by a hub with radially projecting flanges H at the ends of the hub. In the particular construction shown in the drawings the flange at the inner end of the reel projects radially inward to have a mounting flange l2 by which the reel is secured to the drum B, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

When the reel A is employed to carry a hose, or the like, means is provided for supplying a suitable fluid to the hose. In the case illustrated the supply means for the hose involves a fixed central fitting l3 mounted as hereinafter described to be concentric with the reel A, a delivery pipe having a section l4 entering the fitting line is wound in opposite directions onto the two drum sections, and since the drum sections are of equal or substantially equal diameter where their inner ends adjoin, the structure operates so that the loo X of the drive line does not change in length or size when the drive drum is rotating and the end portions of the drive line are 'both at or adjacent the point at which the drum sections join, as shown in Fig. 8. When the end sections of the drive line are at or near the outer ends of the two drum sections, as shown in Fig. 9, there is a maximum change in the size of the loop X for 13, and a section l5 connected to the hose H, and 1 packing means l6 establishing a fluid tight connection between the fitting l3 and pipe section M. The driving drum B is a differential drum on which are wound the end portions of a length of cable or the like. The cable which I refer to as a drive line C has both ends secured to the driving drum and is related to the driving drum so that its two end portions wind onto the drum in opposite directions. related to or carried by the driving drum so that it has the loop portion X which in the arrangement illustrated depends from or is below the drum where it extends around the pulley D. The driving drum B is made to have a differential action by forming it so that it has two end sections land 2| of different sizes or diameters, the end section 20 being considerably smaller in diameter than the section 2 l. The two sections of the drum are preferabl concentric with each other and are i joined together end to end, as shown in Fig. 3. In practice the cable carrying surfaces or periphcries of the drum sections may be plain -or they may, as I have shown in the drawings, be grooved to aid in guiding the drive line as it wraps onto the drum. Furthermore, the two sections 20 and 2| 0f the driving drum may be varied considerably in form or shape. For instance, they may be straight cylindrical drum parts or they may be varied in diameter :at different points along their lengths. In the particular case illustrated both drum sections are shown somewhat tapered and they are related so that the large end of the small section 20 is innermost while the large end of the large section 2| is outermost.

. A feature of the present invention is the formation of the drum at the inner or adjoining ends of the sections so that the cable carrying parts of the two drum sections are equal in size or substantially equal in size where the drum sections adjoin. It is to be understood that I may vary or even reverse the pulling action, or the relative sizes of the cable carrying parts to break or counteract the overtravel that might otherwise result from the action of inertia. In the particular form of the invention illustrated I gain substantial equality in size between the'inner or adjoining ends of the drum sections by providing the large drum section 2i with a steeply tapered inner end portion 22 which corresponds in diameter with the inner end of the drum section 20 where the two drum sections are joined. Through this formation of the large drum section the last few turns of the drive cable around the drum section 2| decrease in size as they approach the inner end of the small drum section so that the innermost or last turn of the line on the large drum section is of the same diameter as the innermost turn at the inner end of the small section of the drum. It will be observed that since the drive Further, the drive line is k a given amount of movement or rotation of the drive drum, this being due to the fact that under this condition as shown in Fig. 9, one end of the line is on a rather small diameter at the outer end of the drum section 20 while the other end of the line is on a larg diameter at the outer end of the large drum section 2|.

The drive drum B that I have hereinabove described may, in practice, be mounted in any suitable manner although I prefer to mount it immediately adjacent and concentric to the reel A as shown throughout the drawings. In the case illustrated in the drawings the fi ange part [2 of the reel A is secured directly to the outer or foremost end of the small drum section 20 by bolts 24 or other suitable fastening means, so that the reel A and drum B form a rigid or continuous unit. In the preferred construction the drum B has a central hub 25 rotatably mounted on a spindle 2'6 projecting from a frame element 21. In the case illustrated the spindle 26 is a hollow or tubular spindle which is in effect integral with the frame element 21 and the fitting I3 hereinabove referred to is threaded or otherwise attached to the end of the spindle on which the drum B is rotatably mounted. The reel A may have a central hub portion 25' secured to the dense part II of the reel by bolts 24', and the hub 25' may be rotatably mounted in a bearing 26' carried by a frame element 21'. The frame elements 21 and 21 are shown as integral parts of the frame structure 50 as will be seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The cross head E carries the pulley D and serves as a connecting link betwen the drive line C and the means G. In the arrangement illustrated the cross head E is located below the drive drum B and the drive cable loops down from the drum B to extend around the pulley D carried by the cross head. The bearing or mounting means F supports the pulley D on or from the cross head E so that the pulley revolves about an axis located in a horizontal plane and is bodily rotatable within limits about a vertical axis. The cross head E moves bodily in a vertical direction and it is maintained so that it extends in a substantially horizontal direction transverse of the axis of the driving drum B. The cross head has a central or intermediate neck portion 30 which serves to offset the two side portions 3| of the head in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The bearing or mounting means F that I have shown in the drawings involves, generally, a split bearing block 33 that surrounds the neck portion 30 of the cross head and has its sections assembled so that it is supported for limited rotation on the ends of a vertically disposed pivot pin 34 carried by the neck 30 of the cross head. A ring 35 surrounds the sections of the bearing block 33 and a retainer plate 36 is secured to a radially projecting flange portion 31 of the bearing block so that the several parts just referred having its end portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum the inner end of the largest portion of the drum having a reduced part of substantially the same diameter as the smallest portion of the drum.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a drum driving the reel and having portions of different diameters tapered in the same direction, the end parts of the line being wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum the small end of the largest portion of the drum being of substantially the same diameter as the large end of the smallest portion i of the drum.

4. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a drum driving the reel and having portions of different diameters with parts of the line wound on them in opposite directions, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum, one part of the drum being tapered and having a line carrying portion of substantially the same diameter as the other part of the drum.

5. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a drum having end portions of different diameters and arranged end to end, one portion having a tapered section at its inner end having a line carrying part substantially the same in diameter as the other portion of the drum, the line having one end attached to the outer end of one drum portion and having an end attached to the inner end of the other drum portion, the ends of the line being wound in opposite directions on the two portions of the drum, and means operating the line to turn the drum.

6. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a drum driving the reel and having portions of different diameters arranged end to end with parts of the line wound on it in opposite directions, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum, the line being attached to the outer end of the smallest drum portion and to the inner end of the largest drum portion.

7. In apparatus'of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a drum having end portions of different diameters and arranged end to end, one portion having a tapered section at its inner end having a line carrying part substantially the same in diameter as the other portion of the drum, the line having one end attached to the outer end of one drum portion and having an end attached to the inner end of the other drum portion, the ends of the line being wound in opposite directions on the two portions of the drum leaving the center portion of the line in the form of a loop, and means operating the line to turn the drum including a pulley engaging the looped center portion of the line and means shifting the pulley causing the line to turn the drum.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a difierential drum having portions of different diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including, a power driven member guided to reciprocate, a pulley engaging the line,,and bearing means carried by said member to reciprocate therewith and tiltably and rotatably supporting the pulley.

9. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a differential drum having portions of different diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including a power driven reciprocating cross head, and a pulley engaging the line and tiltably and rotatably supported by the cross head.

10. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a difierential drum having portions of difierent diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including a cross head, a pulley engaging the line and tiltably and rotatably supported by the cross head, and fluid pressure actuated means supporting and reciprocating the cross head.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a differential drum having portions of different diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions Wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including a cross head, a pulley engaging the line and tiltably and rotatably supported by the cross head, and fluid pressure actuated means carrying and operating the cross head and including a control valve establishing free flow in one direction and restricted flow in the other direction.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a differential drum having portions of different diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including a cross head, a pulley engaging the line and tiltably and rotatably supported by the cross head, and fluid pressure actuated means carrying and operating the cross head and including a cylinder and piston unit and a control valve for the unit establishing free flow in one direction and restricted flow in the other direction.

13. In apparatus of the character described, a reel, a drive line, a differential drum having portions of different diameters and driving the reel, the line having portions wound in opposite directions on said portions of the drum, and means applying force to the line to rotate the drum including a cylinder and piston unit laterally ofiset from the drum for moving the line and a control valve for said unit establishing free flow from the unit and restricted flow to the unit.

NEIL V. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 191,717 Reedy June 5, 1877 470,936 Jones Mar. 15, 1892 889,038 Parker May 26, 1908 1,242,015 Meas et al. Oct. 2, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 772,658 France Aug. 18, 1934; 

